We know about the “new normal” and “new ways of working” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For numerous companies, the pandemic shifted the workforce to remote, even if it was temporary. However, more companies are now hiring fully-remote employees even if a large portion of their workforce will return to the office. At the same time, other companies have implemented a hybrid or fully-remote workforce.
Minimizing distractions when working from home is an ongoing battle. We show you how to get rid of the mental clutter and retain your focus. Working from home poses a myriad of challenges, but distractions are perhaps one of the biggest that we constantly need to overcome. Whether it's other people, children, that load of laundry that needs doing, or simply trying to adapt to the work/life balance in the home environment, there are so many ways our attention is diverted.
Regardless of the type of business you're talking about, organizations invest in digital transformation for a myriad of different reasons. Some turn to the power of modern technology to improve efficiency - empowering employees to communicate from department to department easier than ever before. Others want to guarantee that data can flow freely across the enterprise, making sure that the critical information that people need to do their jobs is always in the right hands.
Before your company can fully embrace digital transformation, you must first deal with the various pitfalls of a remote workplace. The lack of face-to-face interactions means there are certain limitations in communication, especially in information dissemination and engagement. In fact, a study by Deloitte shows that 75% of remote workplaces struggle to keep their members connected as they adopt the virtual setup. This applies not only to employees, but to board members as well.
An increasing number of businesses now operate almost entirely with a remote team — without the need for an actual office space or desks. However, some of them may require a physical location for mailing services and conference rooms for client meetings. In such cases, most companies go for a virtual office. A virtual office gives your business a physical address and other office-related perks without the cost of office rent and administrative staff.
Remote work, in some form or another, is clearly here to stay. But it’s not enough for businesses – particularly small businesses – to simply extend pandemic-era remote work accommodations indefinitely. And there’s a very good reason for that. According to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, a full 19.8% of businesses suffered a data breach after switching to remote work arrangements. And the reason for that is clear.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of managing projects remotely would have been laughed out of most offices. Since then, however, a few things have changed. Many businesses are returning to the office after the pandemic, but a full return to work is not what many employees and employers want.
Out of all of the major changes to the way we do business that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, remote work isn't necessarily one of them. According to a study conducted in 2019, about 99% of respondents said that they would gladly work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers.
The number of people working remotely has spiked over the last few years. But, although business may be conducted in different physical locations, the fundamentals of good employee management remain the same. Managers need to find more effective ways to help virtual employees who consistently fail to perform. And one of the best strategies is to use a performance improvement plan (PIP).
